There aren't typically a lot of high school students in courtrooms. But a judge in Thurston County is bringing the court to them. A few dozen juniors and seniors at Olympia High School recently gathered in a small theater to watch small claims court.

The Black Lives Matter movement has helped spark a national dialogue about issues of race and racism in the country. That conversation is also happening in schools. At Seattle’s Roosevelt High School, Gabe Rosenbloom, a senior and a diversity coordinator for student government, has invited a speaker with an unusual background as a way to help bridge racial divides.

Our country’s racial divides have been in the news a lot this year. Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum has written extensively about the topic, including in her book, Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race .

Anxiety is the most common psychiatric disorder among children, but most kids aren’t getting treatment, according to a report from the Child Mind Institute. A new film called Angst: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety from the Seattle-based production company IndieFlix explores the problem.

(Updated at 2:30 pm, Nov. 15, 2017, to correct that schools are not required to inform parents before the books and lessons will be used in class.) The Seattle school district is introducing books and short lessons to teach kids in kindergarten through fifth grade that there are many ways to express gender. District officials said it’s in response to a growing need and in line with updated state health education standards.

Low-income kids, black and Latino students and children in special education are suspended and expelled at above-average rates. State lawmakers have passed legislation in recent years aimed at reducing the disproportionate use of discipline.

A new report on the needs of black and African-American students in south Seattle and six south King County school districts says they continue to face inequities and racism. One area of focus is disproportionate use of discipline.

Updated on 11/07/2017 at 2:27 p.m. See correction below. Members from Seattle’s Native American community rallied before a school board meeting last week to demand the reestablishment of a school that had an emphasis on American Indian culture.

Education and business leaders are visiting two schools in Tacoma this week to find out more about an initiative started five years ago to help improve outcomes for kids.

Washington State University is facing a $30 million budget deficit. University President Kirk Schulz is calling for 2.5 percent cuts in all departments to get the school back in the black in the next three years. The situation has raised a lot of questions about how all this happened. KNKX Morning Edition Producer Ariel Van Cleave turned to Spokesman-Review higher education reporter Chad Sokol for some answers.